Brief information on Summer Palace

Located in the western area of Haidian District, about 15 kilometers from downtown Beijing, Summer Palace is a large natural garden which was built on the foundations of Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, borrows from the scenery of West lake in Hangzhou and absorbs some design of classical gardens. It is the largest and best-preserved imperial garden, and belongs to one of the four famous gardens (the four gardens include: Summer Palace in Beijing, Summer Resort Scenic Spot in Chengde, and Humble Administrator’s Garden and Lingering Garden, both in Suzhou). It was listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1998. UNESCO declared the Summer Palace to be "a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value."

Built in 1750, and called Qingyi Garden during Qing Dynasty, Summer Palace served as the imperial garden, providing Emperors and their families with rest and entertainment. The palace suffered several attacks—it suffered the rampages of the Anglo-French allied invasion in 1860, was destroyed by fire in 1888, and was ransacked again by the Eight-power Allied Force in 1900. The garden survived and was rebuilt in 1886 and 1902. In 1888, it was given the current name, Summer Palace. After the success of the revolution in 1911, Summer Palace was opened to the public.

The Summer Palace occupies an area of 290 hectares and consists of Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, three quarters of which is covered by Kunming Lake. The Summer Palace can be divided into four parts: the court area, front-hill area, front-lake area, and rear-hill and back-lake area. Visitors can see the classical architecture, marvelous palaces and gardens.

Hours: 07:00-17:00 (Nov. 1 to Mar. 31); 06:30-18:00 (Apr. 1 to Oct. 31)
Transportation: Take bus No. 907, 375, 801, 808, 732, 394 or 718

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